José Kanté Martínez (born 27 September 1990) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Born in Spain, he played for the Guinea national team, representing the country in three Africa Cup of Nations.
Club career Born in Sabadell, Province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Kanté only played lower league or amateur football in his country of birth initially, representing CE Manresa, UE Rubí, AE Prat (all in his native region) and Atlético Malagueño. He scored his first goal in the Segunda División B while at the service of the third club, in a 2–1 away win against CF Badalona on 11 November 2012.
In June 2014, Kanté signed with Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca FC, where he shared teams with a host of compatriots. He played his first top-flight game on 31 August of that year, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 0–2 home loss to APOEL FC.
Kanté moved to the Polish Ekstraklasa in January 2016, going on to remain several years in the country with Górnik Zabrze and Wisła Płock. In the 2016–17 season he scored ten goals, helping to a final ninth-place finish.
On 18 June 2018, Kanté signed for Legia Warsaw in the same league. The following 31 January, he joined Gimnàstic de Tarragona on loan for the remainder of the campaign in the Segunda División.
Kanté terminated his Legia contract by mutual consent on 23 February 2021. On 10 March, he moved to Kazakhstan Premier League club FC Kairat on a deal until December 2022, but left four months before it expired.
On 27 August 2022, Kanté joined Cangzhou Mighty Lions F.C. on a free transfer. On 24 September, in his third appearance and first start in the Chinese Super League, he scored all of his team's goals in a 4–3 victory over leaders Wuhan Three Towns FC, which ended the opponents' 17-game unbeaten run since getting promoted the previous season.
In 2023, Kante signed for J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds. On 27 November that year, having scored 12 times in all competitions, the 33-year-old announced his retirement at the end of the campaign.
International career Of Guinean descent, Kanté opted to represent that nation even though he did not speak French nor any of the local dialects when he was first summoned by manager Kanfory Lappé Bangoura in November 2016. He earned his first cap on the 13th, playing 25 minutes in a 1–2 home defeat against DR Congo for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Kanté was included in the squads for Guinea at the 2019, 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsPrat2012–13Segunda División B14520–––1652013–14Segunda División B3511––––3511Total491620–––5116AEK Larnaca2014–15Cypriot First Division17341–––2142015–16Cypriot First Division12211–20–153Total29552–20–367Górnik Zabrze2015–16Ekstraklasa160––––160Wisła Płock2016–17Ekstraklasa321000–––32102017–18Ekstraklasa30910–––319Total621910–––6319Legia Warsaw 2018–19Ekstraklasa16220–63102552019–20Ekstraklasa231043–00–27132020–21Ekstraklasa4000–310071Total431263–94105919Gimnàstic (loan)2018–19Segunda División143––––143Kairat 2021Kazakhstan Premier League22954–114–38172022Kazakhstan Premier League10620–1010146Total321574–124105223Cangzhou Mighty Lions2022Chinese Super League161400–––1614Urawa Red Diamonds2022J1 League–––20–202023J1 League248308154314314Total248308174314514Career total2859224981301251352115
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsGuinea201610201710201841201971202182202250202320202420Total304
Scores and results list Guinea goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kanté goal. + List of international goals scored by José KantéNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 16 October 2018 Stade Régional Nyamirambo, Kigali, Rwanda 1–0 1–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification2 17 November 2019 Stade du 28 Septembre, Conakry, Guinea 2–0 2–0 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification3 8 June 2021 Arslan Zeki Demirci Sports Complex, Manavgat, Turkey 2–0 2–1 Friendly4 9 October 2021 Adrar Stadium, Agadir, Morocco 1–0 2–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Legia Warsaw Ekstraklasa: 2019–20, 2020–21
Kairat Kazakhstan Cup: 2021
Urawa Red Diamonds AFC Champions League: 2022
Individual Ekstraklasa Player of the Month: February 2020
References
External links